Change is in the air

Hello my devoted readers.

And yes, by "devoted" I mean YOU.

Since it's not like I've posted anything of interest since starting school, I'm assuming all I have LEFT is you, the devoted reader, who is probably subscribed to this in Google reader, since heaven knows all those who come here directly have given up on seeing any new content!

As most of you know, it's been my intention to keep this a horse and endurance oriented blog and while I might mention other happenin's in passing, I've always strived to keep this focused on Farley, my endurance journey, and the horse-related in general.

Life is a series of new chapters, and as I told my sister who is starting out on one of her own new chapters, they don't happen very often. 

I'm not sure that going off to college straight out of high school is a new chapter - it wasn't for me - it was much of the same ole' same ole'.

Starting my first career was definitely a new chapter in my life - one that included endurance.

I imagine my first child, getting married, my parents passing away, and retiring are other significant events that have yet to happen might be viewed as significant.  Graduating as a "Dr. Mel" and starting my second career as a DVM maybe another.

After 3 months in school, it's time to evaluate the blog and my choices.

This new chapter in my life doesn't allow for much endurance commentary, riding, or copious amounts of time spent staring at the computer with nothing to do beyond composing witty blog posts about riding while I'm waiting until it's time to go to the stable.

As I see it, these are my choices:

1.  Continue to keep the Boots and Saddles blog as a horse/endurance-focused blog, sporadically post, and watch as it as it dies a slow death into inactivity, perhaps to be revitalized later when I'm a more active endurance rider.  

2.  Officially end this blog and start a new one that addresses the more prominent topics in my life (medicine, animal health, etc.)

3.  Change the premise of Boots and Saddles and expand it to include vet school and medicine, along with keeping my readers updated on what little endurance I am managing to sqeeze in.

I'm very attached to this blog.  I LIKE this blog.  I like the people that come here, the people the comment, and what this blog represents - my endurance journey, as it happened in real time, during my first 1000 miles.  Every blog has a particular "feel" to it - and even if I started a new blog with the intention of having the same "flavor", it's just not the same. 

Endurance is so intertwined into my thought processes, what I'm choosing to learn, and how I view new experiences that it seems silly to start a new blog where I'll end up related all the posts to riding and horses anyways, even if it's not overtly horse-y.  But, it's undeniable that there needs to be a change so that this blog can continue to meet MY needs as a creative writing outlet, and my READERS needs as a blog that is regularly updated with new content.

So, I've decided to adopt option 3.  I will be telling vet school stories, reflecting on vet school life, and squeezing in the occasional endurance ride.  I'll post on whatever fancy biology thing catches my fancy, and there will probably be a fair bit of bitching and whining.  But it will be fun, I'll learn a lot, and perhaps my readers will too - or at least be entertained over a morning cup of coffee.

Consider this the end of Book 1 - "The First 1000 Miles" - and the beginning of Book 2 - "The Vet School Years".  Now starting chapter 1.....